BMW Korea to extend operations of Yeongjong driving center

(BMW Korea)

BMW Korea Co. will continue operating the BMW Driving Center on Yeongjong Island, South Korea’s first automotive theme park located near Incheon International Airport.

According to sources from the automobile industry on Thursday, BMW Korea was the only bidder in a recent tender by Incheon International Airport Corp. for the lease and operation of the Yeongjong facility.

The airport authority has begun steps to extend BMW Korea’s contract through 2029 under a private agreement. The company is expected to confirm the extension as early as this month.

The driving center, which opened in 2014, has drawn 1.6 million visitors and is considered Korea’s leading automotive theme park. The 240,000-square-meter site, roughly equal to 33 soccer fields, includes a 2.6-kilometer track along with exhibition and hands-on experience areas. Its accessibility from the Seoul metropolitan region has helped sustain steady visitor traffic.

The center’s future had been uncertain because of a complicated leasing structure and changes in airport land-use policy. Some industry watchers had suggested that BMW Korea might lose operating rights.

Golf course operator Sky72 Golf & Resort initially built the facility after leasing the land from Incheon International Airport Corp. and later subleased it to BMW Korea.

The arrangement granted BMW Korea usage rights under a project agreement involving the airport authority and Sky72. A legal dispute over land ownership followed. After the airport authority won the case last year, it moved to select a new operator.

Although several automotive companies were expected to compete for the site because of its strong location advantages, BMW Korea was the only entity to submit a bid and ultimately secured the contract.

The company is expected to keep running the center as part of its broader long-term investment in Korea.